God Save the Queen
by Mage-Alia
Summary: One cycle ends and another begins, but a remnant of another world is swept up in the Entities wake. A new queen is chosen and may She always walk in the Light of the Crystal.
1. Prelude

A Worm(Parahumans) and Final Fantasy 15 Crossover

* * *

Disclaimer: I own neither property and and make no profit from these works. I'm just playing in their sandbox.

* * *

God Save the Queen

by:Mage-Alia (Auraion)

Prologue - The First Glaive

* * *

Summary: One cycle ends and another begins, but a remnant of another world is swept up in the Entities wake. A new queen is chosen and may She always walk in the light of the Crystal.

* * *

_**If anyone had asked him what he was thinking the day he pulled his Liege from the Locker Greg Veder would not have been able to answer them.**_

He had watched with everyone else that day as Sophia Hess had pushed Taylor Hebert into the stinking rotting mess and locked her inside. He'd watched as Sophia, Emma and Madison had all but threatened anyone who looked so much as uncomfortable about the scenario with all manner of cruel things if they even tried to help the girl.

He'd seen Sophia practically guard the hall, listening to the screams and cries that went on far longer than anyone could have anticipated.

But it was when the banging suddenly became that much more violent that he even had the thought about pulling her out...

_**If they asked a much older and more experienced Greg Veder what he was thinking, he'd tell them.**_

_**"The crystals were beautiful."**_

And they had been.

Glimmering motes of light that he could only see from the corner of his eyes as he stared at the metal tomb later that day, after Sophia and her friends had left. There was an occasional gasp or sniffle to tell him that Taylor was even alive in there, but she had long fallen silent. Leaning on the broken lock with the crowbar he'd stolen from the janitor, he'd struggled to break the warped metal, even putting all his weight behind it.

They really hadn't wanted Taylor to get out.

He nearly fell on his face when the bar gave way and the door popped open, disgorging a mass of fetid waste and insects. It took everything he had not to immediately vomit, but his willpower only lasted a few seconds before he had to stumble away. He was heaving against the bank of lockers on the other wall, as the heaving came to a stop he looked up to see Taylor, absolutely covered in muck and blood laying like a ragdoll on the floor... he dragged her limp form along the hall toward the nearest change rooms. He didn't bother to remove any clothing and turned on the water as hot as it would go. It was one of the few things that still worked in the school, the limiter that prevented the water from getting hot enough to scald someone.

Still he held his breath and got the worst of it off her. Taylor wasn't responding. She was breathing, he'd checked. But her mind had checked out like Sparky's on a bad trip.

He yanked out his phone from where he'd dropped it, away from the spray and fumbled with wet hands to dial 911.

"What's the nature of your Emergency?" A clipped voice spoke without preamble.

"Uh! Hey, Hi. I need an ambulance to come to Winslow High school. There's been an incident and my.. friend needs medical attention." His heart was racing with nerves and his voice shook and he still felt sick from the smell, but he stayed on the line until a pair of cops and a paramedic appeared on the scene. He sat beside Taylor on the floor of the locker room after commandeering a few towels from a random locker with his second act of wilful vandalism and told them everything. One of the officers went to check the locker after he'd told them where it was and had come back looking equal measures of infuriated and ill.

They'd bundled the both of them into an ambulance as a flustered Blackwell finally appeared and began to argue with the police.

At the hospital the staff took Taylor to a room and cleaned her up, one nurse was nice enough to give him a set of scrubs to change into and when they were done taking her blood and found her a room he sat in the visitors chair by her bed and felt numb.

One of the officers from earlier came by to check on them and before he left he clapped a large hand on his shoulder.

"You did the right thing kid." The officer spoke quietly. "You got her out and probably saved her life. Not all heroes need super powers to save the day."

The officer left, but Greg Veder didn't feel like a hero.

* * *

He wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep against the side of the bed but he'd woken as night was falling to find Taylor staring at him, her eyes a piercing violet that he'd never seen before. He was frozen like a rabbit under a predator's gaze. It was a long slow moment before she finally moved the hand closest to his face and with a spark of crystal light, pulled a large silver coin from thin air.

The part of his mind that hadn't immediately fallen into gibbering cape worship almost mistook it for a silver dollar before he realized the differences. He didn't dare move from his position, so with his face still down on the edge of the bed he slipped his hand to hers, accepting the coin.

Embossed on one side was the unfamiliar bust of a woman, on the other was an incomprehensible string of numbers that appeared to be the minting date and the words. _'In celebration of our Oracle's Ascension.'_

It wasn't until he dared meet her gaze again that he realized what it was. It was a token, a boon. He'd done something for her and this was a favor owed. She seemed to realize his thoughts because she nodded and gave a very faint, almost inaudible whisper.

"Thank you."

Greg swallowed hard and ducked his head, cheeks burning.

"Anytime."

Taylor Hebert nodded and closed her eyes, by all accounts going back to sleep as his mother bustled in, an older skinny man with receding hair not a heartbeat behind her.

As his mother fussed he tucked the coin away and it sat heavy in his pocket as she took him home.

* * *

Greg didn't see Taylor for a week.

After the locker and busting her out, he'd kept his head down. More so than usual. He watched the smug satisfaction in the bitch trio and wondered if they knew what had happened. When Sophia didn't come after him for his hide he figured that news hadn't got back to them about Taylor's release. He spent a lot of time after that, holding his coin, staring at it like it knew the answers to everything.

When he'd gotten home from the hospital his mother had been equal measures sympathetic over Taylor's plight and proud of him for finally doing something about it. He couldn't keep a thing from his mother, she knew all the ways to get stories out of him. After a dinner of his favorite takeout he'd retreated to his computer and pulled up PHO, fully intending to gush about the day when he stopped.

The coin in his pocket felt like a lead weight. As if the coin was warning him that this wasn't right, that if he told anyone he'd be breaking the fragile trust that Taylor had finally given him.

He dropped his hands to his lap and the cursor in the text box blinked back at him innocently.

And for once, xXVoidCowboyXx said nothing.

* * *

After a week of playing hooky the Bay's newest cape came back to school. Why she did he couldn't fathom, but she appeared clad in a baggy hoody with a pair of jeans that were more suited to a guy. She rushed around between classes. Never staying still, never giving her usual tormentors a chance to hurt her again. She didn't ignore him though. The occasional nod, a silent partnership in the classes they shared. He didn't go out of his way to include her, but whatever fear he had of the repercussions of inciting Sophia's rage was dimmed with each passing day under the eye of a superhero.

So he could be excused when he did the unthinkable.

They were in world studies with Mr Gladly when they got grouped for projects, him, Taylor, his stoner best friend and a hanger on from Madison's class time following. He'd asked for and been granted to read Taylor's report when the vapid follower asked to see it. He'd almost handed it over too before he caught Taylor's eye and noted the minute shake of her head.

In another world he might have turned it over anyway, but the coin in his pocket burned.

"No." He denied the girl, ignoring her squawk of outrage as he handed it back to Taylor.

With a bravado that was blatantly out of character for the Greg Veder of before, he squared his shoulders and stared at her levelly. The gaping girl made a lunge for the papers anyway but Taylor spirited them away. Hiding them under the desk as Greg caught sight of a pale flash of light beneath the cover of the tables.

The toady jeered at him, jeered at Taylor. She let fly about how they must be dating and how pathetic Taylor must be for sinking as low as him out of desperation. Taylor ignored them with practiced ease, not sign of her discomfort on her face. But he itched to say something, to make her take it back.

If only they knew.

Greg gave their groups presentation. They got full marks. Madison's group failed for being unprepared. Taylor got up and out the door the moment the bell rang and he shouldered through the group gathering outside to help get her loose of the tangle of popular girls waiting to corner her and took off running.

* * *

It was later, seated in the roof that she handed him a chocolate bar. The promised reward for the presentation that Taylor hadn't stuck around to receive from Mr Gladly. He'd honestly forgotten that it was a thing in his rush to get out the door after her. He took it and opened it immediately, pondering for a moment the unfamiliar brand before taking a bite. Warmth rushed through him that had nothing to do with a sugar high. He'd looked over at her in alarm only to find the faintest of smiles on her face.

The phantom ache from where he'd stubbed his toe on the bedpost that morning was gone and the tug in his back from where he'd been lugging around a heavy bag all day faded. He realized that she'd done something to the chocolate. She'd made it into something that may or may not be a healing item. Greg's mind rushed to the possibilities before he stopped, looked down at the confection, and then took another bite.

He'd drawn a line in the sand that day. A line between Taylor and her enemies and he didn't regret it one bit. He may be weak. He may not be a cape. But for once he was proud of himself, proud of her, and most importantly, proud that he might be considered her friend.

_**And later... much later. If someone asked Greg when he first knew that he was going to be swear his everything to his Queen. That moment on the roof top would be the one.**_

* * *

A/N: Soooo... Here's a Plot Bunny that needed an out... I have quite a bit of the story mapped on this one, but I'm not sure how long I'll make it. I might end up with an abbreviated sorta version if it looks like I can't manage to get into the swing of it. This is one of three Worm/FF15 crossover plotbunnies that I've had cooking in my brain and the first to be posted. In this one the basic gist is that after the events of ff15 something happened and the crystal gets picked up by an entity and eventually makes its way to Taylor, effectively choosing her as a new Queen, even though Eos and Lucis are long since gone.

I'll try to expand on this one. it's one of the ones that I actually want to try finish in some capacity.

As always this has been crossposted to my Ao3 account under the username Auraion. So don't be surprised if it looks familiar.

Don't forget to review.

Cya


	2. Ignition 1-1

A Worm(Parahumans) and Final Fantasy 15 Crossover

* * *

Disclaimer: I own neither property and and make no profit from these works. I'm just playing in their sandbox.

* * *

God Save the Queen

by:Mage-Alia (Auraion)

Chapter 1

* * *

Summary: One cycle ends and another begins, but a remnant of another world is swept up in the Entities wake. A new queen is chosen and may She always walk in the light of the Crystal.

* * *

—x—

Beep Beep Beep.

Her journey back to consciousness was heralded by a rhythmic chime that penetrated deep into her mind.

Beep Beep beep.

Her eyelids fought her, putting up more resistance than she thought herself capable of, until finally, the blinked them open. Dreams she couldn't quite recall upon waking lingered at the back of her mind as more and more of her awareness returned .

Somewhere above her head, the monitor continued to beep.

The room, likely the hospital, was dimly lit. voices murmured down the hall and the clink and scrapes of people and equipment were a muffled soundtrack, She wasn't sure how long she'd been there, staring at the ceiling, before she registered the weight against her side, As heavy as she felt, one managed to tip her head to look. A boy, clad in scrubs, with blonde hair Slicked back From his Face, lay half in the visitors seat, with his head pillowed on her blankets . His hand was beside hers, like he'd wanted to take it, but been afraid to touch, Taylor stared, not even sure who this person was. while she was thinking, a nurse shuffled in she made a point of staying in her line of sight as she took note of the nearby machines .

"You have a good friend there. "She started when the nurse spoke, in spite of having Seen her enter. She managed to roll her eyes toward her for a moment, before returning to the blonde.

"From the report it sounds like he was the one who called for the ambulance. He hasn't left your side since you got here. " The nurse Seemed pleased with whatever the readings had told her and Taylor felt the heaviness increase again before she left. The blonde shifted and his hair began to flop forward and She suddenly realized who it was she was looking at.

After all, there was only one blonde she knew, let alone spoke more than three words to at school.

Greg Veder

It was like an adrenaline shot had hit her system. Gone was the drowsiness, Greg Veder, the video game obsessed kid with a crush on her because she was the only one who wouldn't outright push him away for talking to her and had never ever backed her up against the bullies had pulled her ...

_pulled her ..._

_**(**Reeking smells, bugs, crawling biting , blood, crystal , warmth**, **__**LIGHT )**_

Her growing panic was stopped cold as light, or the perception of something it, suffused her whole being . A voice murmured somewhere in the back of her mind and looking at him from this cocoon of light it wasn't so... panicked? The thought struck her that it didn't matter.

He had finally done something .

Maybe he'd had a limit to what we could take as well.

She didn't give her long to dwell on it. The blonde stirred and his eyes opened Only for him to tense up like he'd been trapped, Emotions flitted across his Face and Taylor decided that regardless of how or why, Greg couldn't hide his thoughts to save his life.

The light nudged her and she curled her fingers, and with a flash of crystal there was a coin in her hand .

"Thank you." She rasped out, and for once, she meant it.

"Anytime"

And that was that.

—x—

* * *

—x—

She spent a few more days in the hospital being tested for illness before they cleared her to return home.

She spent a lot of time in the hospital staring at her hands and trying to replicate the movement that had summoned the coin she'd given to Greg. He hadn't visited again and she figured it might be too much to hope that his altruistic streak might continue.

Her father distracted her. Danny Hebert had started as fire and brimstone and slowly become quieter and quieter until he realized the depth of trouble they faced as he was stonewalled in his efforts for retribution.

They'd signed the agreements not to sue the school in return for the medical bills because in the end his efforts were for naught and they were back where they started.

By the point where Taylor walked back into her room and collapsed on her bed she felt justified in all her efforts to keep him out of her problems.

Him knowing hadn't helped at all.

She redoubled her efforts to call back the light.

And it wasn't until she was ready to give up that it happened. She'd thrown out an arm and nearly screamed, a bubble of frustration crawling up through her throat, but instead of a noise the feeling had stopped, the bubble of feeling popped and a knife had flown across the room in a burst of crystal. What happened next had been disorienting as the world lurched and she was thrown behind it.

She slammed against the wall as crystals rained down around her, blinking out before they reached the floor.

Dazed and confused she'd started to laugh as she stared up at the knife that was embedded up to it's hilt in the wall.

She was a parahuman. The hospital hadn't been a dream. The coin hadn't been a dream.

She could be a Hero.

With the discovery, the power came easier and she tested what she knew. It soon became obvious though that whatever her power was, it wasn't as simple as waving her hands to conjure things. At first she'd thought she summoned metal, or crystal or both, but as she dipped into that power she'd gone on to pull out a phone, a shirt, a brightly colored plush toy that looked like a bird and a can of energy drink that had writing on it that looked only vaguely like English.

It wasn't until she'd manifested a wicked looking polearm that she figured that it wasn't actual material conjuration so much as it was a pre-filled storage.

It had taken more than a bit of practice to figure out how to put everything back in before her father came home. Never mind the poster she moved to cover the new ventilation slit that had been cut into the wall.

The next day had lead into an almost comical exploration of the pocket space as she tried to inventory the contents, only to find a veritable arsenal of weapons, camping supplies, what must have been YEARS of dirty laundry, food that was miraculously preserved even if it wasn't actually familiar, knickknacks ranging from camera's to stuffed toys, more clothing and finally photo's.

She'd sent everything back to the pocket space upon finding those and proceeded to spread them out over her bedroom floor.

And from them she learned a story.

A child... then a prince next to his father. A newspaper clipping that she couldn't read but the image fit the timeline she was building just fine. An attack and then more clippings of futuristic airships and soldiers. Then there were hesitant seeming, images of the boy from a distance, now in a wheelchair, then sitting in a field of flowers with an older blonde girl. More newspaper clippings of the girl and the castle nearby surrounded by heavily armored soldiers.

The boy returned to the timeline, with sparse images of him in a school and then playing video games, a few with stiff formal suits and stuffy older people dominated them for a while before she found the next blonde. The boy. He was everywhere after what looked to be high school. They must have been close because he continued to appear with two other men besides as they grew older.

The most solid concentration of consecutive photos was of a road trip that explained a lot of what she found in the storage.

The boy's country had been attacked, while many of the photo's had been happy, they'd showed an alien world, maybe even another earth. None of the landmarks or animals looked like they'd existed here or in aleph. She'd wondered if she wasn't using someone else's things as the sky in the photo's became darker and she found one last photo of the four men, sitting around a fire in the dark, smiling for the camera with the sad understanding of people headed for their deaths.

She'd packed the photo's away and cried.

But however sad the story, it had revealed that not only had someone somewhere wielded her power before, but they hadn't been the only ones. It made her wonder about the origins of powers in general before her father had come home and distracted her from her musings.

Still.

The powers had been wielded by a prince. It was a momentary fancy to think that it made her a princess before she'd put it out of her mind. Still, suddenly, it didn't seem right to just go out and do any old stupid thing with her new powers. The destruction the prince had wrought, especially in the pictures taken during battle, meant that even if she only had a fraction of his power then she couldn't just throw it around.

In the meantime however...

Taylor eyed the large pile of clothing that had accumulated in her storage.

Some of it looked like it would fit her and most of it was inoffensively black.

"..."

She resigned herself to doing a lot of laundry.

—x—

* * *

—x—

Returning to school seemed like a daunting prospect until she got there a week after the locker incident. She knew better than to think that she'd be left alone, but the trio kept their distance for the most part. They'd been visibly surprised when they saw her enter but hadn't approached right away.

On the other hand Greg had barely let her out of his sight for a moment. He fidgeted and kept his head down, but he'd followed on her heels between classes and chattered quietly to fill her silences as she worked. He wore his heart on his sleeve and his every thought still crossed his face as he bristled at the whispers and smirking that still happened around them. The difference between the Greg of before and the Greg of now may have been night and day for how much he reacted.

She wasn't sure how to feel about that development, but it was the first actual show of support she'd received since her first day in Winslow.

So she let him be and waited.

It was nearly a month later when she came to a decision about the blonde. They'd been split up to work in groups for a Project in World Studies. Mr Gladly had lumped them together with Greg's friend who she was sure was high and one of Madison's class time following. She'd already done the work, and given his new proximity Greg had finished his too. Rather than have her stand to do the actual presentation they'd nominated Greg to read and he was giving it one last look when Julia had asked to read it.

Taylor froze.

It was a common tactic, and the reason she'd almost protested Julia joining them, she just knew that the moment she had it in her hands she'd do something to it and they'd fail.

Greg had looked at the girl, clearly about to hand it over before he stopped, frowned, and handed it back to Taylor instead.

"No."

Rather than risk them getting it anyway she put it in the storage with the rest of her belongings, where she'd been keeping absolutely anything of value to her since she'd discovered how her powers worked.

Julia and the tittering audience around Madison had fallen into gobsmacked silence. The toady stared at Greg like he'd grown another head but he just stared back with mulish determination, not giving an inch. When the girl recovered her wits she began to complain, hurling half hearted insults and accusations at Greg and at her, but they lacked the usual venom. Resistance from the most unlikely source had put her off kilter and she tried valiantly to save face, but the damage was done.

Greg proved he'd been paying attention when he finished the presentation and Taylor had let herself feel a smug satisfaction when Madison's group were failed. That didn't stop her from bolting out the door when the bell rang as usual, but this time when Greg followed her to the roof she didn't mind in the least.

She wasn't sure that there wasn't a reason Greg had finally stood up for her, and she knew that when Emma and Sophia heard, they wouldn't go out of their way to test his new resolve. But for now he'd earned at least some benefit of the doubt.

It was a thought out of the blue that reminded her that Mr Gladly had promised the best presentation a reward. She hadn't wanted to stick around for it and give the trio a chance to regroup, but maybe...

She focused on the small pile of chocolate bars in her storage and pulled one out, elbowing the boy to get his attention she handed it over.

No reason not to reward him. He had after all done something more than worthy of positive reinforcement.

And maybe, when the Trio did eventually try to escalate as they always did, he'd still be there as well. She didn't quite trust him. Not after the year or more of abuse she'd taken and the resulting issues.

But he was beginning to earn it.

—x—

* * *

—x—

It had been a small miracle that they'd managed to stay away as long as they had. It had been a month and change since her return from hospital and her tormentors had stayed away, wary of retribution after such a blatant act on their part.

There was none coming.

Taylor had known to some degree that there would be no justice for her time in the locker. The school had refused to do more than pay the bare minimum and in spite of Greg's willingness to be considered a witness no efforts had been made when she came back to curb the behavior of her tormentors.

Not that she'd honestly expected that either.

Even so. With Greg's continued presence she'd been brave enough to finally venture into the cafeteria and to eat. No one had even given her a second glance as she went to the table usually occupied by outcasts. Some of them had eyed her, well aware of her difficulties, but Greg had opened his mouth and started talking a mile a minute, effectively distracting them. It had been a peaceful few days since the incident in Gladly's class before she noticed movement around them. She'd only had time to elbow Greg in the side to get his attention and stand before girls had them surrounded.

Snarky and blatantly insulting chatter began between them as Emma appeared. She looked as though she'd dressed up for the occasion, everything she wore looked new, but for once the comparison between their modes of dress didn't bother her. After all, her short sleeved jacket had Kevlar-esqe lining . A quick look confirmed Sophia standing over Emma's shoulder, a look of vicious glee on her face.

She'd honestly tuned Emma out as she talked until she heard the tail end of Emma's statement, "- Like you would cry yourself to sleep for a week. "

Taylor honestly tried to recall what she'd said leading up to that point, but she knew what she was referring too. Shortly after her mother's death she'd been an inconsolable wreck.

So had her father.

She'd spent a week at Emma's while he pulled himself together. Before the locker it might have made her cry again. But since the locker she'd worked through a lot of emotions. The initial hurt and rage had passed, leaving more depression and helplessness until she'd figured out some of her powers. She'd gained focus and with the discovery of her predecessors belongings... and the photo's... Taylor had grieved.

It had been easier in some respects. To get emotional over strangers, but also easier to stop. It was clear that whatever had happened after the last photo the prince had at least lost his powers if not died. It had been cathartic, crying over someone else had helped her vent her own emotions, but with death so close a topic right then, Emma's carefully chosen barb didn't make her burst into tears.

It made her angry.

Emma had been her sister in all but blood. She had once loved Taylor's mother as much as her own. But here she was, dragging up memories and spitting on them.

Rage filled her her hands tightened to fists, and her power tightened in her chest like a clamp around her heart she wanted to bring to bear all the blades in her arsenal but what happened next went completely beyond the expectations of the people watching.

For most of the conversation Greg had stood beside her. Listening to the words with his own hurt written on his face, but he knew the moment that Barnes had crossed a line because the unseen crystal energies snapped into existence.

Taylor's face was blank.

That, that wasn't Good. Not good at all.

He couldn't let her be outed here.

So he braced himself and did the only thing he could think of amid the gibbering panic .

He punched Emma.

Like a record scratch the room went still. It hadn't done any real damage, he was still a skinny nerd, but the sheer absurdity of the event stopped everyone cold, until the only noise she could hear was the the ticking of the clock and the drip of someone's spilled drink.

Emma was wide eyed, unseeing and gaping like a stunned mullet.

(That expression would stay with Taylor as a treasured memory for the rest of her life)

But she caught her wondering thoughts and before the shock could wear off, grabbed Greg's arm and bolted.

And not a moment too soon as Sophia's roar of outrage echoed after them.

—x—

* * *

—x—

"Hey, hey! Wait!"

Greg managed to pull his hand free from hers as they came to a stop a block away from the school. Taylor didn't stop though as she raced to put some distance between her and Winslow.

"Oh, mom's gonna kill me." He muttered as he took off after her. He fell into step beside her, legs working doubletime to keep up with her longer stride. "Hey, I'm sorry I did that, I didn't mean to do it! Well. I did. She was being a bitch. But I didn't mean to punch her, I was just so mad that she was trying to corner you but then I was scared when the crystals started appearing and I don't know if they noticed them but I had to do SOMETHING! I just wa- Whooaaaa!"

His babble was cut off when Taylor grabbed his jacket and pulled him sideways into an alley. He nearly panicked before she grabbed his hands and pushed down his fingers, arranging them into a fist.

"Keep them tight, put your thumb on the outside or you'll just break it. When you swing, use your body, follow behind the punch to add more weight, and next time..." she stared him dead in the eye, her iris purple once again.

"Hit her harder."

He gaped.

Taylor let go of him and he stood there with his fist in front of his face feeling like he'd passed some kind of test as she resumed walking. It took a moment to shake off his surprise but he curled and uncurled his fist the right way a few times before taking off after her.

—x—

* * *

—x—

They ended up suspended for two days.

Emma had gone right to Blackwell with crocodile tears in her eyes after they'd left the school and first thing the next morning they'd been summoned to the office, told not to come for two days and sent home.

Greg's mother had come to pick him up and ended up offering Taylor a lift home too. She'd been all fire and brimstone toward Blackwell and to a lesser extent everyone else while Greg had tried to argue his case. Taylor had remained silent, only putting up a token resistance. She was far too used to this kind of treatment and resolved to intercept the answering machine again before she'd climbed into Mrs Veder's car, only to be surprised when she very deliberately stopped fuming and turned to her son.

"So was the girl you hit that nasty redhead you're always complaining about?"

Greg had stopped talking, his mouth wide open, and nodded.

Mrs Veder had nodded back and turned the key in the ignition.

"Good." She praised him and if Greg hadn't already been gaping he certainly would have started now. Taylor wasn't doing much better on that front obviously. "Now Taylor dear, would you like to join us for Ice Cream?"

It was late January, freezing cold, but Taylor found herself almost completely unable to care.

She had to admit, Greg's mom was kind of awesome.

—x—

* * *

—x—

As it turned out, Mrs Veder was more than happy to find out that her son had made a friend. She'd taken them out to find ice cream, none of the ice cream stores had been open so she'd purchased a tub from the supermarket and dragged them home. She and Greg lived in an apartment, not to far from Winslow but not close enough to see it. Greg's father wasn't around and his mother seemed utterly unconcerned with the absence.

Greg had spilled almost everything in a way that was becoming familiar (thankfully he managed to leave out the more supernatural aspects of the story) and once she'd finished her bowl his mother had nodded, told him she was proud of him for standing up for his friend and then admitted that she needed to get to work.

"Feel free to stay here for today Taylor." She said as she was walking to the door. "Greg, I expect you'll get your homework done. You don't have any excuse not to with all this free time." The blonde boy groaned exaggeratedly but still looked pleased as she left. It was a far sight better than the nervous babbling earlier.

And so Taylor and Greg had been left there. They stared at the closed door and then each other before Taylor finally spoke.

"Well..." she rolled a thought over in her mind. "... want to actually learn how to fight?"

—x—

* * *

—x—

There was an instinctive ease to how she wielded a sword.

It hadn't been obvious at first when she'd pulled the first knife from her inventory (as Greg had enthusiastically declared it to be), but having handled more and more of the weapons available she'd figured out that something was... if not moving for her, then at least teaching her how. The more she used a weapon the easier it got. Her main problem was that without someone to spar against, she wasn't improving.

When she'd asked Greg if he wanted to learn to fight she'd half been joking, but when he'd enthusiastically agreed she'd manifested a wooden sword and thrown it too him.

It turned out though, that teaching had a galvanizing effect on her abilities. The act of describing those instincts to someone else made them clearer in her own mind.

At first Greg couldn't keep up with her. She'd spent the last month or so jogging every morning and almost every afternoon practicing swordwork. They'd moved through the basics of swordplay and onto the knives when it happened. He'd picked up a pair of Kukuri from the pile they'd been sorting through and they'd lit up, vanishing from his hands with sparks of crystal light. He'd grabbed the air, startled, and nearly dropped them when they appeared back in his hands.

Taylor had been startled as well. She'd felt her power activate and now she'd seen in happen, she could feel a... partition in the Inventory. The blonde put the blade on a nearby surface and she felt them return again. She found she could reach through the partition and take them out herself but Greg couldn't access anything else.

Too experiment she'd pushed a few items into the partition, a can of drink, a chocolate bar and what appeared to be a long spiral shaped horn. He'd pulled them out one by one and returned them again before meeting her eyes, his own the size of dinnerplates.

"Wha? What just happened?" He breathed out, "I could use it but I'm not... I mean...?" He fell silent and stared at her beseechingly.

Taylor for her part wasn't much better off. She stared at the items on the table that Greg had taken out of the partition. This was proof. Evidence to the fact that she could share her powers. But in remembering the photo's she remembered the thread that held them all together.

Loyalty.

She turned a look on Greg, who sat there freaking out. He was muttering about video games and party systems and trying to fit what was going on into terms he could understand.

But for Taylor it was the realization that she trusted him that made her freeze.

Somewhere deep down in her subconscious where she didn't have to actively acknowledge it, she trusted Greg to be her friend.

She found herself smiling slightly as she pulled out the training equivalent of the Kukuri and tossed them at Greg with the command to defend himself.

He scrambled to hold them as she swung her own blade and began to call out instructions on where to place his feet.

She liked having a friend to share her power with.

It felt good.

But he didn't necessarily need to know that.

—x—

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A/N: hur hur hur, isolation is having a poor effect on my work ethic. XD

I gotta admit it was much easier to get stuff done when I had work to keep me occupied. But here. Have a chapter.

As usual this is going up on my Ao3 account under the name Auraion. So don't be surprised if it looks familiar.

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Don't forget to Review.

Cya


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